The Scouts and their volunteers won’t have to tackle the annual April town-wide cleanup on their own this year, now that the Marion Board of Selectmen on April 16 gave its informal blessing for volunteers from various Marion churches and organizations to join forces with the Department of Public Works (DPW) for the day.

            George Linzee spoke on behalf of the First Congregational Church of Marion, saying the church, along with other locals, wish to volunteer their time to sweep sidewalks still buried beneath the debris of this past winter in preparation for the upcoming spring season. He said the sidewalks on Front Street are where the group specifically wants to target as it makes its way to Washburn Park to meet the rest of the volunteers and Scouts on Saturday, April 27.

            The plan is to sweep away the sand, stone, gravel, sticks, and trash form the sidewalks, Linzee said, “For safety reasons, but also for aesthetic reasons. … This is our [neighborhood] and it’s getting to that time of the season when we’re going to be having guests.”

            Linzee said the debris on the sidewalks flushing into the harbor with stormwater is also of concern.

            He said volunteers would meet in the parking lot of the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center that morning, and their efforts will be reported to the DPW throughout the day in order to coordinate street sweepers to follow after them. He also hopes the DPW can offer up some extra brooms and shovels if needed.

            “Thank you for taking the initiative in doing something like this,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Norm Hills said.

            In other matters, the board will have to reschedule a meeting with Finance Committee Chairman Peter Winters, Open Space Acquisition Commission Chairman John Rockwell, and ZBA Chairman Marc LeBlanc to discuss video recording and televising their meetings. None of the gentlemen could make it that evening.

            The selectmen back in January asked the chairmen of these three boards to begin televising their meetings, but to this day none of them have acquiesced to the selectmen’s request, which Hills stated during the board’s last meeting two weeks ago, “Was not a suggestion,” but rather an order.

            In other business, the newly hired town administrator, James “Jay” McGrail, sat in on the meeting shadowing retiring Town Administrator Paul Dawson, during which the selectmen approved and ratified McGrail’s employment contract.

            Before adjourning, Selectman John Waterman suggested an additional discussion with the Finance Committee to discuss each other’s expectations.

            “There were some areas in the past when they had expectations of us that we haven’t met,” said Waterman. “If we don’t know [what those are], how are we going to meet them?”

            Also during the meeting, the board scheduled a special meeting for a public discussion of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant and the proposed fiscal year 2020 operating budget on Thursday, April 18, at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall, 465 Front Street.

            The next regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for May 7 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

            Ray Pickles pleaded not guilty to six charges of Larceny over $250 during his arraignment at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton on Friday, April 12.

            The 85-year-old Marion town clerk is facing criminal charges related to his former position as executive director of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District (CMWRRDD), and stands accused of stealing over $610,000 from the District over six years.

            Standing in the courtroom with his hands clasped in front of him, smiling slightly and looking less frail than he has during other recent public appearances, Pickles stated “not guilty” to each of the six criminal counts brought against him by the Attorney General’s Office.

            Special Assistant Attorney General John Brooks, the main prosecutor of the case, said one criminal count relates to an account with Rockland Trust Bank that Pickles opened on behalf of the District, from which he made 269 cash withdrawals totaling $306,000.

            “It was, essentially, a secret account,” said Brooks, of which neither the District’s board or the District’s bookkeeper was aware.

            Brooks stated that Pickles opened another similar account with Eastern Bank, from which he stole $65,000 in checks Pickles wrote out to himself and, from a third account, Pickles allegedly wrote himself 43 checks totaling $35,000.

            Pickles is also accused of billing the District for work that he did not perform, and allegedly billed Barden’s Boat Yard on behalf of the District for fuel that Pickles used for his own private boat.

            When Brooks asked the judge to move with the case on track “C”, the track that most murder, kidnapping, manslaughter, and rape cases are assigned, the judge asked him if he was sure, given that with track C it could take up to three years for the case to go to trial. Brooks confirmed his preference, saying that there was a significant number of documents involved in the discovery process, but Brooks added that he thinks it might not take quite as long as three years.

            A pre-trial hearing was scheduled for June 6 at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth.

            Robert Tinkham Jr., 57, was also arraigned on his two criminal counts – one for Larceny over $250 and one for Presentation of False Claims.

            Tinkham is accused of accepting $50,000 in payments authorized by Pickles for work that was never performed. At the time, Tinkham was the chairman of the District’s board, as well as the health agent for the Town of Carver.

            Tinkham’s case is also slated for Track C, with a pre-trial conference set for the same date as Pickles’.

            Pickles, Tinkham, and Pickles’ wife, Diane Bondi-Pickles, are all defendants in a civil lawsuit filed by the CMWRRDD last year. In his defense, Pickles blamed the financial discrepancies on his age, stating in his response to the civil complaint, “In recent years, due to my age and limited professional support, my record keeping has not been what it was during my time as Town Manager in Marion and during my early years with the CMWRRDD.”

            Pickles was the executive secretary for Marion for nearly 30 years until he retired in 2001.

            He further stated in his response to the civil complaint, “I deny the alleged wrongdoing. I believe that all of my actions were taken in the best interests of the CMWRRDD.”

            Pickles also served as the Town’s zoning enforcement officer some years back, and was also an elected member of the Board of Assessors until 2018 when he lost his reelection attempt amidst the controversy. He remains Marion’s elected town clerk, and his term does not expire until 2020.

            The Board of Selectmen sent a letter to Pickles on April 2 asking him to resign in light of the Attorney General’s indictment. Outside the Brockton courthouse, The Wanderer asked Pickles if he was considering a resignation as requested by the selectmen.

            “No comment,” said Pickles’ attorney, State Representative Chris Markey.

By Jean Perry

            Selectman Brad Morse was reelected on April 10 for a fifth term on the Board of Selectmen, despite an apparent write-in campaign to elect Michael Murphy, a current Planning Board member and prior 2018 candidate for Board of Selectmen.

            Murphy received 33 write-ins, which wasn’t enough to exceed Morse’s 230 votes.

            “Thank you to the town for believing in me,” said Morse just after 8:00 pm when the polls closed at the Senior Center on Wednesday night.

            Constable of 20 years David Hughes will remain Constable after he got 195 votes, and coming in second with 156 votes, enough to win him the second open Constable position, was Marc Slabodnick. Carolyn Pruchnik received 130 votes – close, but not enough to secure her a win.

            There were 299 ballots cast, making for an Annual Election voter turnout of just over 7 percent.

            The following are the results of the remaining uncontested races: Jeffrey Eldridge, Highway Surveyor, 269 votes; Diana Knapp, Board of Assessors, 239 votes; Lori Souza, Cemetery Commission, 253 votes; Glenn Lawrence, Board of Health, 265 votes; David Hughes, Park Commission, 249 votes; Dennis Desrosiers and Kimberly Burt, two seats for Library Trustees, 235 and 186 votes, respectively; Sharon Hartley, Rochester School Committee, 240 votes; Richard Charon, Water Commission, 254 votes.

By Jean Perry